ONEIDA>>Oneida City resident Vicky Arnold is asking for the public’s help in finding a United States Marine Corps medal that is missing from son’s headstone in Oneida Castle cemetery.

Her son, Lance Cpl. Jeremy Lasher, was killed in action in Afghanistan on July 23, 2009 by a roadside bomb.

Arnold said that she last saw the silver-dollar-sized metal medallion on the base of her son’s headstone on Memorial Day around 4:30 p.m. Then, Tuesday night she returned to check on the functionality of a solar light at his grave site, only to find the medal missing.

However, resting on the headstone was a quarter, which Arnold said that in the military world, when someone places a quarter on the headstone of fallen soldiers, that means they were with them when they died.

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In Lasher’s case, that person would be a fellow Marine, “But, there’s not a Marine in the world who would take that plaque,” said Arnold, adding that it was placed there three years ago by her son-in-law Kyle Castle, who was with Lasher when he died.

Arnold said she has made a report regarding the missing item to the New York State Police.

“I want it back,” she said. On Wednesday, Arnold was even scouring area pawn shops in the hopes someone turned it in.

She is hoping that it magically reappears at her son’s grave.

“I don’t understand how someone could steal from a grave,” she said.

Addressing whoever took the piece, Arnold said, “You stole from a fallen Marine on Memorial Day.”

“Jeremy chose to be buried here and not in Arlington (National Cemetery),” she said, “It would be nice to be able to leave items at his grave without them being stolen.”

Arnold said that she takes care of her son’s grave and that she now feels like she let her son down.

If anyone has information regarding the location of the medallion, call the New York State Police in Oneida at 315-366-6000.

About the Author

Jolene Cleaver is a staff writer at the Oneida Dispatch. Her coverage focuses on crime, government and community events. Reach the author at jcleaver@oneidadispatch.com
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